No time like the present to plan a trip up Silver Star Mountain (near Vernon) for a four day day food and wine extravaganza. The Silver Star Wine Festival runs August 10th – 13th, 2023.
Way back when (at a time when some people were still wondering if BC wines were actually worth drinking) I attended the original (then quite diminutive) Silver Star festival. It turned out to be a lot of fun. For one thing I met St. Hubertus owner Andy Gebert, who introduced me to the concept of enthusiastically pairing Kirsch and Swiss fondue.
No question, the 2023 version has come a long way since then. While now considerably more developed, Silver Star remains a truly delightful, stunningly beautiful destination, especially in mid-summer. If you book in for the weekend you’ll discover plenty more beyond some excellent tastes, including hiking and biking amongst myriad wildflowers.
Now, with the involvement of wine event guru Dana Lee Harris, things look set to go to the next level.
Seminars and events
This summer food and wine celebration promises to be one of the year’s best, especially as it’s been revamped with a slew of industry expert-led seminars and other special events. Heading up the seminar roster are seasoned presenters Michael Kompass, Paul Watkin and Colin Ross (known also for their seminars with Whistler’s Cornucopia). On the schedule are a broad range of current topics with wide appeal, from BC Bubbles to Exotic Grapes and why some reds taste better chilled…
The main event, the Signature Walk-About Tasting, showcases a wealth of excellent BC producers, including Meyer / Mayhem, Tightrope, Haywire, Peak Cellars, Roche Wines, Stag’s Hollow, Tantalus, Terralux, Naramata Bench Wineries Association—and many others, some 30 wineries in all. A quick look at the list tells me there’ll be no shortage of decent drops to discover. The calibre of wines selected is impressive.
Wandering through the village, tasters will also get to sample some pretty wicked bites to go along, courtesy of legendary Chef Bernard Casavant (culinary director at Lakehouse Kitchens Cooking School).
“From a seared wild salmon satay with soba noodle salad bowl to a chickpea-crusted, fried adzuki bean tempeh taco, we will have mouthwatering pairings for every palate,” Casavant assures.
You can also pony up for an extra hour’s VIP tasting and book a return shuttle from Vernon, if you wish to attend just the main tasting.
Gallery Odin at Silver Star, supplied
There’s plenty more, from wine dinners to free concerts, drag shows, and free receptions at the delightful Gallery Odin, hosted by owners Maria and Kal Molnar. Also not to be missed, the Silver Star Gnome Roam …
Silver Star Wine Festival packages
Why not make plans to book in for the weekend? Silver Star Mountain Resort’s Wine Festival accommodation package starts at $165 per person, per night and includes two-nights of accommodation in the Snowbird Lodge or FireLight Lodge plus two tickets to the Signature Walk-About Tasting on Saturday, August 12. Package details here:
For the full Silver Star program, to purchase event tickets and find out more in detail, click here.
Please check out the wine festival site here: https://destinationsilverstar.com/event/silver-star-wine-festival/
It is going to be a great time!
Thanks, Cassandra. Sorry about that. Fixed now. The gremlins must have gotten in… or maybe it was the gnomes!
Great article! Although the links to accommodation offers and Wine Festival tickets do not work.
Thanks, Jen. Fixed that one too. Must be the hot weather or something!